Namaste from India

The street outside our hotel in New Delhi

We arrived in India not knowing what to expect. We met with our Iris contacts and drove out of the airport to a totally new place neither one of us were ready for. Not every place is like the movie Slumdog Millionaire, but there are many places like it and there is a great reality to what happened in the life of the main character. There are children begging on the streets because someone is making them, there are slums where people live where there is no sanitation and waste is everywhere, there are places where prostitution is open and rampant. This nation is dark, but where there is darkness the Light of Christ shines so much more! 

Our first day we rode to the Taj Mahal in Agra. It was a breathtaking building from afar and up close because of the grandeur of the outer white marble and the intricate details all over the inner walls. We prayed as we walked through the inner dome and halls, because we know how many people of different religions walk the same route. Who is to say Jesus can't reign in the Taj Mahal!! After we exited the building we sat and rested in a shady area on one side of the building. All of a sudden many Indian tourists began asking to takes pictures with us! What a great way to start sharing the gospel, and to meet and bless new people. One group of guys we had already met and asked to take pictures with us. We did, then God spoke to us about someone's back hurting, there was one guy who everyone pointed to and said, "his back hurts!" So we asked him about it, and then asked if he knew Who Jesus was. He said he knew Jesus, so we started sharing the gospel. However we quickly found out this group had some hindu beliefs and they attempted to argue that Jesus was just another God who had no power. So we asked them to pray to the other gods to heal this mans back, but none stepped forward. We then prayed in the name and power of Jesus and this man immediately felt relief in his back! Praise God!!

The next day we boarded a bus and rode 8 hours North to a city called Dehradun, where we stayed at a boys home for two amazing days. When you walk into the house you feel the presence of God and you know a family lives here. This home houses boys who have been living on the streets, or their mothers are involved in prostitution, but you would never be able to tell when interacting with these boys. They are all so in love with Jesus it has completely transformed them. We were so privileged to spend time praying with them, sharing testimonies, playing silly games, and singing worship songs that we almost cried when we left. It was a connection we will never forget, and if we visit India again we know we will stay with that family.

So far India has not been a spiritually challenging place, people are open for prayer and are willing to listen. We know it's not our job to convert every person we see, but to love and to plant the seeds of the Gospel and spread the presence of God all over the nation. We continue to seek the Lord for direction as we are here, and we will continue to bring the good news to the people of India! Prayers and blessings to everyone! 

Houses and restaruants in Agra

Baby Monkeys!

The beginnings of the Himalayan mountains

The Reckless Team

Last days of Harvest School

Harvest School is winding down, and God has not stopped doing great things! The staff member who was crushed by a 10 ton truck is sitting up in a hospital in South Africa! She never needed surgery, pins, or any other procedure, just the healing power of Jesus! We have two of the most amazing pastors here to speak and teach, pastor Jose Novela and pastor Supresa Sitole. Pastor Jose works at the Iris base in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, and he carries the powerful presence of God. We get to host him for the week, which means we get to spend more time with him than a normal staff would. He is such a humble man, who knows how important a relationship with Jesus is. Pastor Supresa is the leader of the Iris base in South Africa, and never stops laughing! He is filled with constant joy because he knows Jesus! It is such an amazing privilege to have both of these men of God here to speak to the students. They also blessed us by coming to a staff meeting and praying for us and washing our feet! It was a humbling experience because these men have walked with God for many years, and have seen hundreds, if not thousands, come to know king Jesus. Yet they humble themselves to serve and bless us who have served Harvest school for the past two months. 

Another amazing thing that happened was the 20th anniversary of Iris in Mozambique which was celebrated on Thursday. The entire church was decorated with balloons and packed with chairs to accommodate for 3,000 people! There was worship, the Iris school danced, Heidi spoke, and there was a special moment where both Heidi and Rolland were honored for their service to this nation. Local pastors clothed Heidi and Rolland with a piece of fabric, called a Kapulana, and then lifted them up into the air in their chairs! It was wonderful to see them honored in such a way, because so much sacrifice went into making Iris what it is now.  It was truly a day to celebrate all Iris had done in Mozambique.

Lastly there was graduation; the biggest celebration for Harvest School and the Bible School! Everyone gathers together in the church where there is worship, dancing, a school dance, and to end the ceremony a huge line of prayer, called a fire tunnel. The festivities started in the morning and went through a chicken lunch with the whole school, then into the night when all the Harvest school students came together to eat sweets, dance, and enjoy their last night all together in Pemba. That day is filled with both joy and sadness, because you know you have to leave this family you have created, and yet you reflect on every good moment you spent with them. 

Looking back at these past three months and at all the growth which has taken place within us it astounds me how great our God is. There are ways we encountered Him in Pemba, that we never would have anywhere else in the world. There were physical, mental, and spiritual challenges that were only overcome by the help of our Lord Jesus. We have come out of this season of staffing at Harvest School different people, with a whole new depth in our relationships with Jesus. He is King of our lives, and where ever He calls us we will go!!!

Blessings and Love from

The Reckless team